I went with three friends to the Kiri Te Kanawa concert in the Dome Concert Hall, Brighton.

We had spent £40 each on our tickets and were excited about seeing Dame Kiri for the first time.

Our disappointment began when we found the programmes had not arrived and we could not see the details of the arias she would be performing.

The flyer posted to me before I bought the tickets stated she would be singing Mozart, Puccini, some Gershwin and some of her Maori songs.

Mozart and Puccini were included but no Gershwin or Maori songs - a great disappointment in view of the price we had paid.

Although her performance was impeccable, she did not gel with the audience and was reluctant to announce her programme verbally, even though she realised the programmes had not arrived.

I sensed others in the audience were similarly disconcerted.

I am appalled, too, at the shoddy workmanship and lack of style adopted in the improvements to the Dome.

Stairs were not properly lit and staff had to be in attendance with torches.

The edge strips on the stairs in the circle were either incomplete or missing. Paintwork on the doors was so bad the sandpapering marks could be seen under the paint.

The new seating was very uncomfortable and of very poor quality. The air-conditioning was non-existent and it became very hot by the second half.

The basins in the toilets were unhygienic. How horrible to be washing your hands and for another person's dirty water to be flowing past.

Solid tablets of soap are known to harbour germs - why not provide liquid soap dispensers?

More style, in keeping with the beautiful mosaics in the entrances, could have been adopted in the foyer and bars.

Boring white is a bit clinical. Finally, there were not enough staff serving in the bar.

I am enormously disappointed our city could not make a better job of revamping what was once a beautiful venue.

-Marilyn Eckert, Wolverstone Drive, Brighton